Holloway defends under-pressure Ipswich boss McCarthy
QPR manager Ian Holloway has defended under-fire Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy.
Ipswich sit 17th in the Championship after a run of two wins in their last 10 matches, but McCarthy has vowed to turn the club’s form around rather than walk away.
And Holloway, whose Rangers team visit Portman Road on Saturday, insisted the former Wolves boss has done a good job.
“I don’t see it as Mick being in a difficult situation there at the moment,” Holloway told QPR’s website.
“They were in a difficult situation when he arrived there a number of years ago, when they were cut adrift at the bottom of the table. That was a remarkable piece of management.
Ian Holloway v Mick McCarthy
Played: 13
Holloway wins: 3 – McCarthy wins: 5 – Draws: 5
Last Holloway win: Millwall 1 Ipswich 0, January 2014
Last McCarthy win: Millwall 1 Ipswich 3, January 2015
Biggest Holloway win: Crystal Palace 5 Ipswich 0, November 2012
Biggest Holloway defeat: Wolves 4 Blackpool 0, February 2011
Holloway record at Portman Road: P 8 W 1 D 2 L 5
“They’ve competed ever since then and Mick deserves credit for that. He’s one of my favourite people in the game.”
After Saturday’s game, Holloway will have faced McCarthy more times than any other manager in his career.
In the 13 meetings between the two bosses, Holloway has beaten McCarthy’s sides only three times – once each at Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Millwall – with five draws and five defeats.
